Hamilton receives grid penalty after qualifying incident in Hungary

By Sanjay Menon — 25 July 2026 — 3 min read

Hamilton’s Qualifying Incident and Penalty

Lewis Hamilton, who initially secured second place in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, has been issued a three-place grid penalty. This decision came after an incident during qualifying where he impeded Oscar Piastri of McLaren. The penalty means Hamilton will now start the race from fifth position on the grid.

The incident occurred as drivers were preparing for their final laps in Q3. Hamilton had just completed a fast lap and was reportedly unaware that Piastri was approaching on a push lap. Hamilton‘s car was on the racing line at a reduced speed near Turn 1, forcing Piastri to take evasive action, run wide, and abort his lap. Piastri ultimately qualified in fifth place.

Following the session, Hamilton acknowledged that his mind was elsewhere and he was unsure if he had obstructed anyone. He stated that he was not aware of any approaching cars. The stewards reviewed video, telemetry, team radio, and in-car video evidence before determining that Hamilton had unnecessarily impeded Piastri.

The penalty for Hamilton resulted in a reshuffling of the grid. Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, and Oscar Piastri each moved up one position. Hamilton‘s team principal, Frederic Vasseur, indicated that the team was at fault for not informing Hamilton about Piastri‘s approach in a timely manner, stating that the message was received too late.

Grid Changes and Other Penalties

The grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix saw further changes beyond Hamilton‘s penalty. Kimi Antonelli, who had initially qualified in fourth place, also received a three-place grid penalty. This was due to failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags when Max Verstappen spun at the final corner.

With these penalties, Hamilton will start from fifth, and Antonelli will begin the race from seventh. Lando Norris of McLaren secured pole position, edging out Hamilton‘s initial qualifying time by a narrow margin. Charles Leclerc was promoted to second place, with Piastri moving up to third, and Max Verstappen starting fourth after his original sixth-place qualification.

Hamilton expressed his frustration on social media, noting that despite feeling good throughout the sessions, things fell apart. He described the situation of going from being close to pole to starting fifth as extremely frustrating. He also mentioned receiving three penalties in three consecutive race weekends, which he found challenging for maintaining positivity.

Team Strategy and Driver Reactions

Hamilton also questioned his team’s strategy during the final runs of qualifying. He felt that being sent out first for his final timed lap was not the correct decision, especially as the track conditions were evolving and grip was increasing. He suggested that this early dispatch contributed to him not improving his time, while Norris, who was among the last drivers out, managed to secure pole.

The Ferrari driver noted that he had a clean out-lap but experienced a snap into Turn One on his final lap, which immediately put him behind. He concluded that the car had the potential for pole position, but he did not deliver on that particular lap. This would have been his first pole for Ferrari and a record tenth at the same circuit.

In a separate incident, Antonelli explained that he lifted off the throttle when he saw the yellow flag but the stewards determined that his speed was still slightly higher than on his previous push lap, leading to his three-place penalty. The Hungarian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, with the race starting at 2pm.

McLaren‘s strong performance continued, with Norris securing his second pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix and the seventeenth of his career. This marks another significant result for McLaren at the circuit, where they have a record 13 victories. Norris won at this track last year, and Piastri secured a victory in 2024.

Source: formula1.com